How to Play the B Chord on Guitar (2024)

The B chord might not be one of the very first guitar chords we come across. But it’s a useful one to know because it crops up in songs and pieces of music that are in the key of E.

In this article, we explore:

• How to play two common B guitar chord shapes
• How to play a barre (bar) chord – and why it can be challenging
• How to make the B chord easier to play and sound cleaner
• What we can use instead of the B chord

What is a B Chord?

The B guitar chord consists of three notes: B, D#, and F#. These are the first (root note), third, and fifth notes in the scale of B.

Sometimes these notes will occur more than once on different strings. But together, they form the B major chord, commonly known as “B”.

How to Play the B Chord on Guitar

The image to the left is a B major chord. The image to the right is a B minor chord.

If we listen to the two chords one at a time, we’ll hear the difference. It’s only one note, but it gives each chord a distinct “quality”.

Major chords can be said to sound “happy” and minor chords are sometimes described as “sad”.

To learn how to play these chords, we can use a chord diagram.

How to Understand Chord Diagrams

A guitar chord diagram is a useful tool for learning chords. It tells us which strings to play, and which fingers to use.

The Left-Hand Fingers

We number the left-hand fingers 1 to 4.

1 is the index or pointer finger. And 4 is the little finger.

B Chord Guitar Diagram

Let’s take a look at one of the easiest B guitar chord shapes.

Steps to Play the B Chord

• Step 1: Finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the first string (e string)
• Step 2: Finger 3 on the 4th fret of the third string (g string)
• Step 3: Finger 4 on the 4th fret of the second string (b string)
• Finger 2 – We do not use it
• The 4th, 5th and 6th strings are not played
• We can place the right-hand thumb on the 3rd string and strum down.

B Minor Chord

Let’s look at the diagram for the B minor chord.

Steps to Play a Bm Guitar Chord

• Step 1: Finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the 1st string (e string)
• Step 2: Finger 2 on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string (b string)
• Step 3: Finger 3 on the 4th fret of the 3rd string (g string)
• Finger 4 – We do not use it
• The 5th and 6th strings are not played
• With our right hand, we can place our thumb on the 3rd string and strum

Four Finger Bm Chord

Once we’ve become comfortable with this shape, we can add an extra note on the fourth string. We do that by moving our third finger to the fourth string and adding our fourth underneath it, on the third string.

• Step 1: Finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the first string (e string)
• Step 2: Finger 2 on the 3rd fret of the second string (b string)
• Step 3: Finger 3 on the 4th fret of the fourth string (d string)
• Step 4: Finger 4 on the 4th fret of the third string (g string)
• The 5th and 6th strings are not played

Barre Chords

Note for beginners: Feel free to skip this section. You can return to it later if you choose.

A bar (barre) chord substitutes the first finger for the nut (fret zero). The first finger lays across two or more strings, while the other fingers fret other notes. By eliminating open strings, we can play chords all over the neck.

Playing barre guitar chords can be difficult. Our fretting hand can get tired quickly. And we can mute strings by mistake or get unwanted buzzing sounds.

One of the most common issues with bar chords is excess tension. We tend to press too hard. Over time this may lead to injury.

Selective pressure will help with any bar chord. This means paying close attention to which strings we press for a given chord. Then we can press with more appropriate pressure where we need it, and avoid pressing too hard where we don’t.

With the right technique, we can play bar chords more easily.

The B Major Full Barre Chord Diagram

We can use a full bar to play a B major chord.

This is harder than the shapes above. But it’s worth persevering with, as the added bass notes enrich the chord.

Steps to Play the Full B Barre Chord

• Step 1: Finger 1 on the 2nd fret, all strings
• Step 2: Finger 2 on the 4th fret of the 4th string
• Step 3: Finger 3 on the 4th fret of the 3rd string
• Step 4: Finger 4 on the 4th fret of the 2nd string

Is There An Easy B Chord on Guitar?

Playing barre (bar) chords is difficult to begin with. The B chord is particularly hard because we place the bar at one of the widest frets.

But we don’t have to perfect this tricky chord shape before we can play a B in a song. This is the beauty of chord variations.

We can play an easier version that doesn’t involve a bar, and continue on our musical journey.

What Chord Can Replace the B Chord on Guitar?

One way of avoiding a barred B chord is to replace it with B7 which is an easier chord to master.

Steps to Play the B7 Chord

• Step 1: First finger on the 1st fret of the 4th string (d string)
• Step 2: Second finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string (a string)
• Step 3: Third finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string (g string)
• Step 4: Fourth finger on the 2nd fret of the 1st string (e string)
• The 6th string is not played

Is B the Hardest Guitar Chord?

The B barre chord is often considered one of the more difficult chords to master.

Particularly for beginner players, any full barre chord can be daunting. Here are some other tips to make it easier.

Ways to Make the B Chord Easier to Play

Here are three common problems – and some tips to make the B chord easier. (It’s not all down to index finger strength.)

Muted or Buzzing Strings

A good hand position on the fretboard is the key here.

It’s good practice to keep our thumb centered behind the second fret. And it helps to think of the bar as levered, rather than squeezed.

We might need to adjust the position of our index finger so the strings don’t nestle inside the creases of our knuckles. We’ll also get a better sound if we roll our barring finger slightly to the side. We’ll be using the bony part, rather than the soft part.

It helps to keep all the other fingers up on their tips. This ensures we don’t accidentally touch adjacent strings.

Hand and Finger Fatigue

It’s a good idea to take regular breaks during our practice sessions.

Hand and finger stretching exercises help warm up tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

We can also practice touching the strings lightly without actually exerting any pressure. This saves energy.

Clumsy Chord Changes

It sounds counter-intuitive, but practicing changing chords slowly speeds us up.

We’re more likely to be accurate. This consistency will gradually build up strength, dexterity, and speed.

We can also try to position our fingers in the chord shape above the fret before we press down on the strings.This is called proprioception (aka kinesthesia) and is one of the most valuable strategies for smooth connections between chords.

Wrist Position

The wrist positions the fingers. So we can play more easily and consistently if the wrist puts our fingers in the best place.

The ideal left-hand position is the “C” shape. This shape allows for freedom of movement and stretch.

As a general rule, the best wrist position is one that keeps our big knuckles parallel to the side of the fretboard. This keeps all four fingers over the strings.

However, when we need more than one finger on the same fret, we can tilt our wrist. This change of position brings our fingertips more in line with the fret. And this makes it easier to keep each finger just behind the fret.

We must remember to return to the original position when we shift to new chords or notes.

How to Play the B Chord with a Right-Hand Pattern

Right-hand patterns allow us to get different sounds and textures from the instrument. Learning different patterns is a great musical and technical exercise. Right-hand patterns build dexterity and control.

First, we call the right-hand fingers:

• P – Thumb
• I – Index
• M – Middle
• A – Ring Finger
• C – Little Finger (Pinky)

One common pattern is PIMA (thumb, index, middle, ring). The PIMA pattern appears in many different styles of music.

First, form the B chord with the left hand.

Then with the right hand, the I, M, and A fingers prepare on strings 3, 2, and 1. The thumb prepares to play the 5th string.

Here are the steps for the PIMA right-hand fingerpicking pattern:

• P (thumb) plays the open 5th string
• I (index) plays the 3rd string
• M (middle) plays the 2nd string
• A (ring) plays the 1st string
• Repeat the pattern in a steady rhythm.

Another common pattern played with chords is the “outside-in” fingerpicking pattern.

Classical Guitar Technique for More Effective Right-Hand Ability

Right-hand positioning and patterns are an important focus of classical technique.

We have proven methods of form, positioning, and movement. And these make fluid and beautiful playing possible.

Much of the classical guitar technique is non-intuitive. So self-learners may miss ways to make playing easier and more graceful.

If you’d like to play with power and ease, consider The Woodshed® Classical Guitar Program.

Members go step-by-step from the beginning or fill in any gaps in their current abilities. And this means they quickly hear themselves playing smooth, effortless music. Click here to explore the course.

Music Theory: What is a Chord?

Music theory is a tool that can help us better understand music. Theory explains how notes and chords work together to create the music we know and love.

Do we need to learn music theory? No. At least not as beginners. Practicing chords and learning to use our hands on the guitar are more important. All the abstract background knowledge can come later if desired.

But if you are interested, in this section we’ll discuss the musical alphabet.

The musical alphabet uses only the notes named A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.

These notes can be altered by raising or lowering their pitch. In music, we call this making a note sharp (raising) or flat (lowering).

• On the guitar, we sharpen a note by moving one fret higher
• To flatten a note, we move one fret lower

In all, this gives us 12 notes. These same 12 notes repeat going higher and/or lower. Think of the same pattern of black notes (groups of two and three) repeating up the length of a piano.

A piece of music rarely uses all 12 notes. Instead, we limit the notes to a “key.” A key in music is a unique collection of just seven notes.

The Key of B, for example, contains the notes: B C# D# E F# G# A# B

To create the B chord, we take the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes from this group of notes.

So the notes in the B chord are B, D#, and F#.

We can play these notes in any combination all over the fretboard. As long as we play these notes together, we are playing a B Major chord (or just “B chord”).

There’s more to learn about the relationship between chords and scales.

Chords that Sound Good with the B Chord

The most common chords played with the B chord are:

E Chord

F# Chord

D# Chord

Other chords that sound good with B Major are:

D#m Chord

G#m Chord

We can find notes to all these chords within the B major scale. The chords can appear in any order and duration, depending on the piece or song.

One of the best skills we can learn as guitarists is how to practice chords. It’s helpful in pieces of music to switch quickly between chords.

Chord Progressions

A chord progression is one chord moving to another chord. Most songs in Western music follow a chord progression.

Chord progressions can have as little as two chords or many different chords.

Here are two common chord progressions:

You can also create your own songs or pieces by putting together chords in any way you like.

Popular Pieces With the B Chord

The B chord appears in hundreds of songs and pieces of music. From Albeniz to Liszt, ABBA to ZZ Top, the B chord is commonly used across time, culture, and genre.

Many popular songs use the B chord. Here are a few that were originally written, or commonly played in the key of B or Bm:

1. “Asturias” – Isaac Albeniz
2. “Etude in B Minor” – Fernando Sor
3. “Lagrima” – Francisco Tarrega
4. “Bourree in Em” – J.S. Bach
5. “With or Without You” – U2
6. “Everlong” – Foo Fighters
7. “Blackbird” – The Beatles
8. “Scarborough Fair” – Simon & Garfunkel (B minor)